Today we returned to Sainte Hyacinthe market to observe their sale of culled-dairy cows and to check if this market, that previously had a very bad reputation, really was indeed much better than in 2004 (see old photo). Culled-cows can often be in very poor shape and are fragile to transport, as they have spent their short lives repeatedly pregnant and producing … [Read more...] about Sainte Hyacinthe market, Quebec, Canada
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Sainte Hyacinthe livestock market, Quebec, Canada
Today Eyes on Animals joined Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals to visit Sainte Hyacinthe market. In 2003 and 2004, Lesley from Eyes on Animals was working for Animals’ Angels in Canada and discovered very rough handling of the animals at this market, including downers being dragged, piglets being grabbed by their legs and thrown over gates and many piles of dead … [Read more...] about Sainte Hyacinthe livestock market, Quebec, Canada
A visit to the Leeuwarden calf market
Eyes on Animals made an unannounced visit to the calf market in Leeuwarden. Here, calves of 2-3 weeks old are collected for onward travel to fattening farms. The accommodation was sufficient - the calves had a thick bed of straw and enough space. Many calves skipped with joy because they are not used to that much space (they come from individual boxes). The … [Read more...] about A visit to the Leeuwarden calf market
Visit to the Van Rooi export assembly center
Today we visited Van Rooi assembly center in Lieshout. There were sows and piglets at the time of our visit. Because there was a wind, the temperature in the barn was fairly comfortable, even though it was almost 30 degrees outside. The doors were open on both sides, allowing the wind to flow through the area. The sows had troughs with water to drink from. In contrast … [Read more...] about Visit to the Van Rooi export assembly center
Visit to livestock-export center Busser (NL)
Today we inspected the collecting center Busser in Bennekom. We were pleased that, despite us showing up unannounced, the manager still welcomed us and gave us a small tour. During our visit there was not a lot of activity. There were a few pigs and piglets destined for transport to slaughter. In the pens there was some sawdust to prevent slipping and to keep the pigs … [Read more...] about Visit to livestock-export center Busser (NL)
Collecting center Pluim in Wekerom (NL)
At Pluim in Wekerom cattle are collected and then sent off in trucks for slaughter. During our visit there was no activity in the collecting center. We checked on the lairage and loading-platform design. The loading platform looked good, it had a well-designed curve to the lairage, the lighting was sufficient and the floor was anti-slip. We also visited the barn at the … [Read more...] about Collecting center Pluim in Wekerom (NL)
Inspection collecting-center with hundreds of kids (young goats) for export
Today we inspected a collecting center in Brabant. There were hundreds of kids (baby goats) present, destined for France. The kids were brought in small trailers and some in a bigger truck from the company Busser. Unfortunately we were not able to observe the conditions inside the collecting center closely because the owner asked us to leave his premises due to public … [Read more...] about Inspection collecting-center with hundreds of kids (young goats) for export
Inspection Leeuwarden cull-cow market, NL
Eyes on Animals was present on the cull-cow market in Leeuwarden on the evening of January 10th when the cattle arrive and are sold and the early morning of January 11th when they are loaded and transported to slaughterhouses in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. We checked on the unloading, the loading, the housing conditions on the market and the condition of the … [Read more...] about Inspection Leeuwarden cull-cow market, NL
Inspection of horsemarket in Hedel, NL
From midnight until early morning on October 10th, an Eyes on Animals team attended the horse market in Hedel. We were accompanied by two journalists of Animals Today, who themselves had invited a security guard of BBA-A (Bouncers Against Animal Abuse). The reason for these precautions was that two years ago they, and us, were physicially and verbally harassed by … [Read more...] about Inspection of horsemarket in Hedel, NL
Tamale livestock market, Ghana
This afternoon we inspected a large cattle and sheep market in Ghana together with our colleagues from the Ghanaian welfare organization WACPAW. We observed serious welfare problems ; there were many animals too weak or injured to stand with no mercy shown to them, beating during loading, the ramp is not high enough to be level with the larger trucks so most cattle … [Read more...] about Tamale livestock market, Ghana
